A Short Treatise on Manga
On the back cover of his groundbreaking book, Mastering Manga, artist Mark Crilley declares: “There’s more to manga than big, shiny eyes and funky hair.” Yet many adults still write manga off as ‘junk food’ for the brain. While children and teenagers frequently play card- and video-games based off of manga, few appreciate it in its original form. Though most libraries have a good array of manga, many people in America are still woefully undereducated about the art form, which is a shame, since, as Eri Izawa writes on his website, “… Japanese manga come in all types, for all sorts [of] people. Unlike the US, which generally seems to believe that ‘comics are for kids’… Japanese manga-ka [authors]… write for everyone… (there is even a category for ex-juvenile delinquent mothers!)” There is literally a manga for everyone, though most adults, if they are exposed to it at all, have only seen manga such as Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh! that are meant for children. In reality, manga has many different genres, including action, drama, and historical fiction. If someone doesn’t like the looks of jagged hair and large, intense eyes, there are lots of alternate artistic styles. Many manga are educational – some would say even more educational than many textbooks – simply because they are so engaging. Authors incorporate detailed art, interesting characters, and intricate storylines into and art form that anyone can benefit from. Manga is truly too good to miss!
Since manga is either produced in or heavily influenced by Japan, it is filled with foreign terms that make some people shy away. Really, the Japanese terms are not too difficult to understand. First, manga, pronounced mäŋ-gə, can be singular or plural....
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Izawa, Eri. “What are Manga and Anime?”
Kishimoto, Masashi. Naruto: the Official Fanbook. Viz Media, LLC. San Francisco , 2002. First English edition.
“Monster (manga)” Anime News Network.com.web. April 2014
“Naruto (manga)” Anime News Network.com.web. April 2014
“Rurouni Kenshin”
“Shōjo” Anime News Network.com.web. April 2014
“Shōnen” Anime News Network.com.web. April 2014
Shonen Jump Publishers. “You’re Reading the Wrong Way!”
Warning written on back inside cover of all material published by Shonen Jump
It is well known that books read by adolescents are somewhat inappropriate in certain ways such as language and the types of actions done by the characters. Some books consist of drugs, sex, and violence which obviously isn’t very appropriate nor does it consist of positive values. It is easy to see why some books ar...
Inquiry Question: Why were the passengers on the Komagata Maru rejected to stay in Canada?
I chose to read and comment on Barbara Kiefer’s “Envisioning Experience: The Potential of Picture Books.” Kiefer’s main point in writing this essay was to get the message across that children enjoy picture books that allow them to identify and make connections with the characters or the plots, and that while reading and analyzing the pictures, they gain a better sense of aesthetics and how to interpret them.
Recently publishing companies have focused efforts to release books that are intended for the large teenage audiences. However these books have unintentionally become popular with adult readers who have been drawn into these book franchises, such as The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Twilight. The argument within the article, Adults Should Read Adult Books, focuses on the growing number of adults reading young adult fiction and the consequences of this trend. While many people would argue that the genre of a book should not dictate readership, the author of the article, Joel Stein disagrees. In his article, Stein argues that adults should be ashamed for reading a YA book. Additionally, he argues in for adult reader to gain knowledge from a
Ever since I was a child, I've never liked reading. Every time I was told to read, I would just sleep or do something else instead. In "A Love Affair with Books" by Bernadete Piassa tells a story about her passion for reading books. Piassa demonstrates how reading books has influenced her life. Reading her story has given me a different perspective on books. It has showed me that not only are they words written on paper, they are also feelings and expressions.
My grandmother introduced me to reading before I’d even entered school. She babysat me while my parents were at work, and spent hours reading to me from picture books as my wide eyes drank in the colorful illustrations. As a result, I entered my first year of school with an early passion for reading. Throughout elementary and middle school, I was captivated by tales of fire-breathing dragons, mystical wizards, and spirited foreign gods. A book accompanied me nearly everywhere I went, smuggled into my backpack or tucked safely under my arm. I was often the child who sat alone at lunch, not because she didn’t have friends, but because she was more interested in a wizards’ duel than the petty dramas of middle school girls. I was the child who passed every history test because she was the only kid who didn’t mind reading the textbook in her spare time, and the child who the school librarian knew by name. Reading provided a
Ever since I was a young child, I have loved to read. Whether it was Chet Gecko, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, A Series of Unfortunate Events or Animorphs, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid, they all provided me with hours of entertainment and an escape from everyday life. Throughout elementary and middle school, I read constantly and frequently visited the library to find new volumes to digest. Each novel was it’s own world, a new adventure with new friends along the way and an opportunity to travel the world, through time and dimensions, with only the time that you spent reading, in exchange. One year in
...evolved over time. Tales from the Man’yōshū are even told today in the form of Manga (Japanese Comics) and Anime (Japanese Animation). As a student of the Japanese Language as well as the Japanese culture even I can see that both these anthologies are equally important for the understanding of the Japanese Mind as well as the culture of Japan. Reading these anthologies is of great importance for the westerner who is trying to grasp the Japanese ideals and it is very much a necessity for the student of Japanese to read these great works of art.
In the “age of electronic entertainment”, Harry Potter novels sharply contrast by luring children away from the internet, and away from video games and the television. Children across the globe are rapidly becoming interested in reading the novels. Katherine Thompson, owner of Frugal Frigate Bookstore, declared the series a “literary phenomena.” She noted that children as young as eight-years-old will devour...
In every bookstore across America, people are faced with the tough question of what book should be bought. There are millions of books resting on shelves everywhere but what makes a reader pick up a novel to buy and read? Looking at book covers people can get ideas about what type of book is in their hands. Most books grab their audience by the way that they look on the outside. Many different authors and publishers choose famous works of art or use book reviewer’s comments to grab a specific audience for their book. When children are looking for books, they choose a book because of what is on the cover. Parents can view the cover as appropriate for their child. It is the cover that initially grabs the attention. Even as children grow up and begin reading books with few to no pictures, it is still the cover that says what kind of book it is.
Some people may ask what is anime, and how is it different from cartoons. Anime is a term specified for Japanese animation. How has Anime affected history, and how does it influence today's society? Anime covers more serious topics than american cartoons. Cartoons in America are considered a form of entertainment for children. Anime in japan are for people of all ages, anyone can watch anime. Most anime shows and movies are made for children, adolescents, young adults, but there are also anime that are made for the older generation of people. Anime shows are directed for any type of viewer.
If one were to look at my varied reading habits, they would be struck by the diversity and over all unusualness of my mind’s library. I hardly remember the plot of the first book I read, but it was called Lonesome Dove. It wasn’t the actual first book I read, but I don’t really count the McGregor Readers from kindergarten. I read it in first grade because of my Grandmother’s fascination in the T.V. mini-series that was playing during the time. I wanted to be able to talk to her about it so I went to the public library that weekend and picked up a copy. Well, I actually didn’t pick it up, it was too heavy. It took me over two and a half months to read, but with the help of a dictionary and my grandma, I finally read it from cover to cover. I can’t really say that I understood it, because I don’t recall what it was about. But I do remember that it was quite an ordeal. Since then I have read many books. I enjoy fiction the best, especially those that are based on society, but have a small twist that leads to an interesting story. Some of the stories that I remember best from that early time in my life are Tales from Wayside Elementary School, Hatchet, The Godfather, and The Giver. I think that Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, is the only book that I’ve read more than once. I liked the situation that Brian was put into, lost in the wilderness, with nothing more to fend for himself with than his mind and a trusty hatchet. The adversity he faces and his undying drive are what fascinated me most. Since that time my reading habits have grown into a different style. I have usually only read what was assigned to me during the school year because that was all I had time to do, but I have always strived to put forth extra effort. For example: last year for English 3 AP we had to read an excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. Although that we only had to read a small bit, I checked the entire book from the college library and read it all. Although the way that Franklin rambled on and on about his “Franklin Planner” was somewhat boring, the way he describe his life was pure poetry.
How people read and interpret books truly depends on their age. Readers start, in the premature stages, by reading children’s books; books written simply to tell a story rather than give a deep and meaningful message, sometimes not having one at all. They then move onto chapter books, not noticeably meaningful enough, but it does take more dedication and thought to understand it. Finally, in the mid to late teenage years, comes the more rigorous and intellectual literature. These are books and novels written to provoke a more profound thought and interpretation. Commonly, authors push to convey a broader message. This can be done in several ways. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the acclaimed author of The Scarlet Letter, provides his broader themes and
Most people believe that graphic novels are just an art book with minimal text. They believe it is just for entertainment for kids or young adults. They think that graphic novels are just like comics. But to get to the point, graphic novels are just like all the other novels. They are a piece of literature that tells a story and pulls out the reader’s imagination, so that they feel that they are a part of the story or can even relate to the story. Graphic novels have changed and developed into such remarkable pieces of literature and should be accepted by all scholars to be placed in that category. According to John Ridley, “There are still some people out there who believe comic books are nothing more than, well, comic books. But the true cognoscenti know graphic novels are-at their best-an amazing blend of art, literature and the theater of the mind”.
When one sees a cute illustration for a product or business, or perhaps if an animated show happens to catch an adult’s mature eye, no matter what the content, the first thought to pop in their head would be whether or not the topic or content is appropriate in the eyes of a child. A mischievous 10 year old watching a show like Scooby-Doo could soon want to solve mysteries or an affectionate seven year old could watch a superhero show and become passionate about protecting something. This is because of the younger mind’s ability to easily select a role model. The younger the child is, the more impressionable they can be. And therefore, the viewing of cartoons could have a large impact on a child, especially between the ages of four and twelve. The cartoons that children watch could be positive or negative, and it largely depends on a combination of the child’s personality and attitude, as well as the cartoons they view.